Headed Somewhere
by Color the Hours
Summary: AU. Spencer's already come to terms with who she is, but when she moves to LA, it's Ashley's world that's turned upside down when she finds herself drawn to Spencer.
1. Chapter 1

For Spencer Carlin it wasn't only a new day, but a new school, a new city, and what she hoped would be a new life. And so far, for the first time in her life that she could remember, she seemed to be getting exactly what she was hoping for.

Here she was, wandering the halls of King High School without really knowing where she was going, and she could not help from smiling at the thought of how quickly things were turning around. That smile quickly turned into a grin when she spotted her: The brunette girl that she had noticed around the past couple of days but who had somehow seemed out of reach.

The bell rang, and at that moment, Spencer decided that she was going to reach her somehow. Pulse quickening and biting her lower lip, partially because she felt vulnerable; partially because she was trying to suppress a tooth-baring grin, Spencer made her legs carry herself over to the brunette. They felt incredibly heavy to her, and at the same time, she was somehow feeling light.

What felt like an eternity for her to reach the brunette somehow only took seconds in the real world, and when she did, she mused over the fight that the stranger seemed to be engaged in with her locker. She was broken from the trance when the brunette noticed her presence and turned to her for but a moment. "You want something?"

Spencer felt a mixture of discouragement at the girl's words and determination at the husky voice that had accompanied them. "Er, yeah, do you know where science lab 3 is?"

"Yes," she said sourly. That was the moment when she'd locked eyes with Spencer for the first time, and at that instant she felt a trace of guilt at the tone she'd used. She didn't know what, but there was something there. And then she dropped all of her school books that she'd fought the locker so hard for. "Man!"

"Let me help," Spencer was already lunging over to help the other girl retrieve her books before the words were entirely out. She reached for the same book that the brunette was, and in so doing their hands touched. Neither of them dared move at first; brown eyes that bore curiously into Spencer's, and then it was over. The girl jerked her hand away; Spencer nervously taking it as a cue to jerk her own hand away before attempting to grab at another book, trying to move along. Attempt being the keyword. Her hand knocked over a styrofoam cup that the girl had set down along the way, and she watched in horror as it sent coffee onto the girl whose name she hadn't even learned yet, now doubting that she ever would.

This seemed to have flared up the girl's temper again. "Damn!" She shot upright, shaking her hands off where most of the coffee appeared to have hit, aside from the books.

Spencer could barely get out more than a gasp. "Oh, no - I'm - I'm so - let me buy you a new one! - sorry." She was barely intelligible at this point and kicking herself at every failed syllable.

The girl shot her a glare before quickly scooping up her books. "Good luck finding your way to class," the girl snapped before quickly walking off, and Spencer had the sense that she hadn't wished her good luck at all.

Spencer shook her head, not sure whether she was more feeling embarrassed at her clumsiness, or more annoyed at the lack of forgiveness exhibited towards said clumsiness. Annoyance won out, and she settled on a scoff before rushing to find the lab she was destined to be late for.

_Maybe this 'new life' isn't so new after all._


	2. Chapter 2

Spencer looked around science lab 3, feeling out of place. The rest of the room was paired up and engaged in quiet conversation, but her pre-assigned lab partner was late. In an attempt to make her feel a part of the class when he'd noticed that her partner hadn't yet arrived, Mr. Hollis had asked her to introduce herself to the class and tell them all something about herself. In an awkward attempt to get out of it, she attempted a joke about how 'Spencer Carlin needs no introduction' paired with a flip of the hair. Some eyebrows raised questioningly; most people at least gave a chuckle, though Spencer couldn't tell if the majority of it was because her peers thought her 'special' or if she'd honestly just been able to make them laugh.

She was engaged in a textbook, barely hearing the teacher scold a student - her lab partner, she could only assume - for being late. She kept her nose in her book until she heard someone settle next to her, and with a smile, she turned on the stool, starting, "You know, I -," she broke off, frowning. She'd found herself looking into those brown eyes from earlier.

The girl beamed a smile at her. "Hello, partner. See you made it here in one piece. Ashley Davies." She outstretched a hand toward Spencer, which Spencer did not take. Instead, she raised an eyebrow.

"Does it take being attacked by coffee to put you in a good mood?"

"Uh, no. Usually it's consumption of caffeine that puts me in a good mood, you know, via my mouth. I guess it takes a bit longer to work when I'm absorbing it through my skin." Ashley beamed another brilliant smile at Spencer, and at that, she finally broke down and returned the smile. Ashley, still holding out her hand, waved it around a bit to grab Spencer's attention before outstretching it toward her again. Spencer finally took her hand, giving it a firm shake and giving Ashley a nod.

"Hello to you, too, partner. Spencer Carlin."

"So, I know you what?"

Spencer furrowed her brows and blinked. "Has the caffeine still not kicked in all the way yet?"

Ashley laughed. "When I sat down, you were saying, "You know, I -." You never finished the thought; ergo, I don't know. You're keeping me in suspense, Spence."

"Ah," Spencer gave a shy smile, before a thought occurred to her. "Wait a minute. Did you just make my name rhyme on purpose?"

Ashley gave a coy shrug. "I'm a poet, and didn't know it. Again! Suspense! What were you going to say?"

Spencer chuckled, shaking her head in the best possible way. "I was going to say, somehow I'm the one who was lost and I managed to make my way here before you."

"Oh, well. That's just because I was trying to decide whether to show up or not at all."

. . .

After school, Spencer was slowly making her way to the gymnasium, hands in pockets, to wait until her older brother Glen, also known as her ride home, was finished with basketball practice. Ashley came running up to her, skipping the last bit of the way and wrapping an arm around Spencer. "So, now that we're free for the day, where are we off to?"

Spencer felt her heart speed up again for the second time that day at the warmth of the girl, but didn't pull away. "There's always that project we have due together next week," she suggested.

"Ugh, did you somehow miss that the keyword in there was 'free'?"

Spencer laughed at Ashley's mock disgust. "Okay, well, what would you suggest?"

"Hmm," Ashley began, putting a finger to her temple and feigning being deep in thought. "All of my suggestions would probably involve a fake ID and alcohol," she smirked.

Spencer shook her head, suppressing a laugh. "How about something more mild, say, in the form of saving me from a ride home with my brother and hanging out at my place?"

Ashley pretended to be weighing her options. "Will there be alcohol involved?" Spencer wasn't quite sure whether to take her seriously or not, and upon seeing her confusion, Ashley laughed. "Please, I'm kidding." Spencer let out a chuckle, seeming relieved. "No," Ashley began, "I don't really drink all _that_ much. I seem to have this habit of testing people, you know, and I end up saying some uncomfortable things. I'm working on it," she gave a nod.

"Ah, and how is that working out for you so far?"

"You'll have to let me know."

"Will do. So," Spencer cleared her throat, "my place?"

"Your place," Ashley confirmed. "So, brother?"

It took Spencer a moment to work through the girl's question, and then she remembered. "Yes. Two of them, actually."

"Sweet!" Ashley threw her hands in the air in victory. "Are either of them cute?"

"That's... so not the thing for me to judge," Spencer forced a laugh, both feeling uncomfortable with thinking of her brothers in that way and discouraged by Ashley's interest in said brothers. She attempted to perk herself up. "I will say, though, that one is possibly far too engrossed in his advanced classes to be interested in girls, and the other, well, even if he is cute it probably doesn't make up for the fact that he's a total ass."

"Oh, little Spencer, so much to learn. Cute so trumps ass status," Ashley playfully bumped herself into Spencer, and Spencer gave a playful shove back.

. . .

The two girls were spread out on Spencer's bed. Ashley had insisted on looking at yearbooks from Spencer's old high school, and Ashley was filled with questions and comments on Spencer's past, from commenting on how could anyone concentrate in a class taught by the attractive Mr. Rhodes, to pointing at several pictures and asking if Spencer had hooked up with him or him, to commenting on who looked like the queen bee ("Bee as in 'b' for bitch," Ashley had claimed) of the school and who had looked like her evil minions.

Spencer mused at how into it Ashley was and the way that she was making up background stories for people she'd never met, when Ashley turned to a page and suddenly threw a hand over her mouth. "Oh my god, you were a cheerleader! Oh, and there's queen bitch as head cheerleader! I so had her pegged. You, not so much, apparently," she wiggled an eyebrow at Spencer.

Spencer hit her with a small throw pillow. "First off, that is creepy," she could barely get out between the laughter. "Second... well, how did you have me pegged?"

Ashley shrugged. "Not as a cheerleader. You seem to actually have some brains in there," she lightly rapped her knuckles on Spencer's noggin. They both paused, looking at each other without a word. Ashley's hand was still on Spencer's head, and she thought she could feel it shaking a bit as Ashley ran a few fingers through Spencer's hair, looking not entirely sure of herself but curious.

Spencer was afraid to do much else but smile. She thought about moving in closer and running her own fingers through Ashley's hair, but was afraid that any movement would cause the uncertain side of the girl to win over. She was slowly moving her fingers towards Spencer's face, when they heard Spencer's father calling from downstairs that dinner would be on the table in 5 minutes.

Ashley slowly drew back her hand, looking down and forcing out a weak laugh. "Your hair was doing something funny."

Spencer played along. "Yeah, um, it seems to have a mind of its own much more powerful than hair product sometimes," she ran a hand through it, pretending to be fixing her hair.

"Much better," Ashley nodded sagely, though not seeming all that convinced and not looking half as lively as earlier.

. . .

Downstairs in the dining room, Ashley was seated between Glen and Spencer, which Spencer knew was not random. She'd seen that look on Glen's face when he saw Ashley, and when the two weren't chewing, they were talking to each other, every now and then bringing the other family members into the conversation though Spencer suspected it was just out of politeness and not genuine interest.

Spencer played with the food left on her plate for a few moments before clearing her throat. "You know, I, um, I'm feeling kind of tired and I think I'm going to start on my part of the project before I call it a night," she stood up, gathering her plate.

"Oh," Ashley said, and Spencer thought that she saw a trace of disappointment on her face. "Well, you know, I could get started on it with you," she began to stand up.

"No, no. You finish," Spencer forced a smile. "Besides, you two seem to be enjoying each other's company," she nodded towards Ashley and Glen. "You two have fun. We can work on it another time."

And with that, she was gone.


End file.
